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WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) — Virginia State Police say a man fatally shot himself while local officers chased him after a report of a fight this weekend, but some witnesses dispute officials’ version of events and say they saw police aim and open fire.
Officers from the Winchester Police Department responded to the report about a fight with the possibility of a firearm involved on Sunday afternoon, according to a Virginia State Police statement. Police said the officers found two people and one fled. According to the police statement, D’Londre Minifield — a 20-year-old with ties to the Richmond and Winchester areas — stopped and fired a gun as officers approached, dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No officers opened fire, police said.
Minifield’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. State police said in the statement that their agency is investigating the incident at the request of Winchester police. State police spokesman Sgt. Frederick Tyler told The Associated Press in a phone call that he did not have details about the races of the officers involved or Minifield.
Winchester police spokesman Sgt. Frank Myrtle told The AP in a phone call that no officers are on administrative leave over the incident. He said several officers were involved in the foot pursuit, but he did not know how many.
On Monday, about 100 people gathered at a protest, including some who challenged the police department’s version of events, according to police and reports from news outlets.
Quay Pannell, 18, of Winchester told The Winchester Star (http://bit.ly/1QpclFM) that he was traveling in a car about 50 yards away.
“I saw a cop aiming a gun at him (Minifield), and the gun went off,” Pannell said.
Kayla Friesen, 24, of Winchester, said she was in the car with Pannell and Minifield was about to climb a fence when police opened fire.
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This story has been corrected to show that police say one person fled police, not two.
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Information from: The Winchester Star, http://www.winchesterstar.com